It’s dumping snow in the Sierras, but we can’t go up right now …. so instead, Jocelyn and I have opened up the Monopoly Snowboarding Edition, which was a Christmas Gift to me from Aunt Jenni. Ever since we gave Papa “Monopoly Jr.” for his birthday, Jocelyn’s been really eager to play ‘real’ Monopoly.

Let me tell you: She’s a real tycoon already. The two of us started playing this afternoon. Although the game will continue for a while (updates forthcoming, perhaps), she is well positioned for victory. I haven’t even had to help her. She’s got tons of property, and has already developed quite a few of them.

This game is based on the original rules, with the board altered to reflect the snowboarding culture. The properties are ski resorts, the houses have become Lifts, the hotels are Gondolas, and the railroads are now equipment Manufacturers. Curiously, players can purchase the “Aspen/Snowmass” ski resort and the goggle manufacturer “Oakley” …. coincidentally the same names as our cousins from Tennessee (“Aspen,” not Snowmass .

Jocelyn’s take on our calendar: “Tomorrow, at the end of the day, the Earth will be back where it started when God was born.”

Felicia continues to explore her world. A few years ago, Uncle Timmy made a marble roll toy for Jocelyn to play with. It’s an uneven ladder that allows several marbles to cascade down each wrung until they gather at the bottom; it makes a lot of noise and generates a lot of fun.

Today, Felicia took the marble roll to another dimension, by intentionally dropping two marbles out of the ladder, over our balcony, and onto the family room floor. As Jocelyn will tell you, this is strictly against our house rules … although judging from the gleam in Felicia’s eye, it does seem to be a lot fun. Bring your hardhats when you visit.

Great having the whole family here this week!

Another of our beautiful Christmas traditions continued this year, with the gift to Mommy of a “Christmas Carol” from Jocelyn, Felicia, and Daddy. This year, we gave Mommy “I Saw Three Ships,” (Lyrics) including a wooden sailboat puzzle, a 500-piece picture puzzle of a harbor, and a sailboat painted by Jocelyn. The tradition also includes a commemorative ornament, which this year had three small sailboats and a picture of the “Daytime Trio”: Daddy, Jocelyn, and Felicia.

The tradition started two years ago, with serendipitous inspiration in our local dollar store. Jocelyn pieced together her own version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” complete with the ornament of a “Sweetie Goose in a Pear Tree.” Last year, Jingle Bells adorned a one-horse open sleigh.

The motivating forces in a six-year-old’s life are fun to watch.

Learning to tell time is not easy. (Everything dividing into 12 hours, sixty minutes? Are you kidding?) For most kids, it can take a few years to master the fine details of minutes ’til and quarters past. Jocelyn can accurately tell time already — as long as it’s between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm on weekdays.

That’s when I listen to my radio show, LIVE 105′s “Rewind at Noon” program, an hour-long collection of random alternative songs from the 80′s and 90′s and before. I’ve been listening to alternative music since 1986, so this is usually an enjoyable hour of nostaligia and wacky hair. In general, Jocelyn does not like the show, and my insisting on listening to it every day drives her crazy. Thus, she practically counts the minutes until the show ends at 1:00.

A sample of the verbal abuse I get:

“Do we have to listen to your show today?”
“Do you think there’s anyone else out there who listens to this?”
“Since we have visitors over for lunch, can we turn your show off?”
“It’s after one. Is it over?”
“Why do you listen to this stuff?”

Oh, the things a father will do to teach his child to tell time!